Easy No-Bake Granola Bars

Where has this week gone? I feel like I’ve got absolutely nothing done and all of a sudden we’re being hurtled back into another weekend… ugh. Thankfully, I have had some precious time to spend in the kitchen creating this and that for the forthcoming book. These no-bake granola bars were a second attempt because the first batch were a bit too crumbly for my liking (I instagrammed them for posterity though!) so it was immediately back to the drawing board, which quickly resulted in me adding more nut butter and coconut oil – and hey presto, they came out perfectly. My Husband was so taken with them he wanted to bring the lot into work… unfortunately for him I still hadn’t yet snapped the little blighters for the blog so he’ll have to make do with a weekend’s worth of nutty, chewy bars at his disposal. I’m certain he won’t be complaining.

You could easily play about with the add-in’s … it would be great with goji berries and pistachios too. It’s such a stupidly simple recipe to whip up and (aside from refrigeration) would make a terrific last minute option for bake sales and the like. They’ve already been put on the snack rotation list here and, in my humble opinion, equal bliss balls in their nummy nutritional greatness – I’m going to have so much fun creating variations and already have my sights set on a full-on cacao version complete with nibs. Yep, this one is definitely a keeper.

what you’ll need

150g oats

1/2 tbsp maca powder (optional)

30g almonds, roughly chopped

30g sunflower seeds

30g pumpkin seeds

30g raisins

2 large medjool dates, chopped

30g desiccated coconut

30g chocolate chips

1 ripe banana

4 tbsp coconut oil, melted

3 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp cashew or almond butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 tbsp agave

pinch salt

what you’ll do

mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

mash the banana and whisk in the melted coconut oil, nut butters, vanilla extract and agave until completely smooth. pour over the granola mix and stir to combine.

line a brownie tin and tip the sticky granola into it, flattening to the edges with the back of a spatula.

refrigerate for at least 6 hours. cut lengthways into long bars and then halve each one – you should get about 16 bars from each batch.

tip: melt some dark chocolate chips and drizzle over the top before cutting. refrigerate for about 30 mins before serving.

2 responses to “Easy No-Bake Granola Bars”

Mmmm these look delicious. I recently bought your book and can I just say that I loooooove it!! So many delicious recipes and with ingredients I can find easily in the UK and with UK measurements FINALLY!! Thankyou thankyou thankyou!! I could eat your cashew sour cream all day long.

Hi Aine, can’t wait to try this recipe!! What size tin did you use for these? I have your book ‘keep it vegan’ and I think it’s brilliant! I had the Macaro no cheese for dinner this evening! It’s such an amazing dish full of flavour and I love the texture contrast between the crispy kale and soft pasta. Looking forward to your new book